6-2 hellfire vs 6-4 alternator

07-02-2012, 03:53 AM

Hi im currently surfing a 5-10 potatonator and a 6-4 alternator for when it gets 3+ foot!! i love the potatonator, the alternator goes ok but soon as the swell weakens i find it a little slow and boggie! maybe it lacks a little tail volume for me! So i am thinking about trading it in on an 6-2 hellfire and having the potatonator and the hellfire as a 2 board quiver? Im 185 cm and 97-98kg and have no trouble paddling the boards i have! Cheers leigh

I am thinking similar to you.. lately whenever i ride the alternator it feels so slow compared to my spit. This means I end up just riding my spit all the time, problem is when its hollow I really want some more rocker and less tail(which is why I brought the alt in the first place). I figure if I sell my alt and replace it with a 604 HF it would get more use.

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Geez, I dunno but when I was 95+ kg I found the 6'8" Alt to be borderline. I felt at that weight I could have used a 6'10" from time to time. Now hovering around 90kg I think the 6'6" is optimal. If I was to use considerably less volume at my weight that would have to be in consistent, powerful surf with not much hassling. The equivalent length for what you guys are using would be something like a 6'0" for me.

Everyone's different so these volumes might work for you. If so maybe the Hellfire will work better. If the Alt isn't working why not give it a go? But I'd also suggest demoing an Alt in a length or two above what you're currently using.

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I might just add by the way that I find the Alt feels slow when the wave hasn't got enough power to get it moving, but once there's some juice to the wave, and in general once the wave starts getting a bit above say chest high, I find the Alt is very quick and as reactive as I want - much more than the Dom - to me what you are reporting suggests you're riding the Alt at too low a volume for your weight.

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Buzzy im pretty paddle fit and can catch waves that are 1 foot on the alt, i really like the way the potatonator surfs suits me and i take it out 4-5 foot because i like it so much better than the alt, thats why im thinking about the hellfire because it looks like a similar shape with more performace so once its 3+ foot it could be my go to board!

Big Leigh,
I ride primarily the Hibreds now, of HP's, Hell fire is a great step up for me. I chose it over the Alternator. You may want to consider the 6-4 Hellfire for a little more volume and foam in the tail, but that is up to you. I have a few other step up boards in HP that I rarely use since the Hellfire.

Buzzy im pretty paddle fit and can catch waves that are 1 foot on the alt, i really like the way the potatonator surfs suits me and i take it out 4-5 foot because i like it so much better than the alt, thats why im thinking about the hellfire because it looks like a similar shape with more performace so once its 3+ foot it could be my go to board!

Cheers, no worries big leigh!

I guess from my perspective where I find the Alt to be quite a fast and reactive board, compared to a board similar to your Potatonator (ie my Dom), I'm trying to put a finger on why you have a different experience. True enough some boards just suit some people more than others and maybe the Alt just doesn't float your boat! But to me that issue of slowness and bogginess is likely to be a matter of physics. Maybe you can paddle the board fine at your weight but perhaps the board just isn't carrying enough volume and/or planing area for the waves you are using it in, relative to your weight. And I guess there is a question begged of whether we are talking 4-5 "on the face" (ie chest to just under head high) or 4-5 foot meaning 1-2x overhead. If we are talking about under head high then my experience of the Alt is that it performs only when the wave has some push - if not then the Dom (or Potatonator etc) would be clearly preferable, in my experience. If we are talking above head high though your experience of the board is completely at odds with mine. I had the Dom out (by accident) last weekend in solid 3 foot (head high to 1.5x overhead) surf. It went fine, but, for instance, in one turn I sough to do a quick snap to stall to into the barrell thing and to my surprise on this a bit above head high wave the Dom with its extra float and surface area wanted to continue on its merry way! The Alt would have allowed me to do that turn with more precision.

On the old forum I had a bit of a look at this to pick up volume per litre averages (and assumptions) for a bunch of pros. This is what I ended up with;

So my rule of thumb has the best pros in the land on between 0.31 and 0.38 litres per kilo. Parko looks to be an outlier.

I think I had Kelly on 27.3l at 72 kg (0.38 litres per kilo).So to continue with this, you are 97kg and surfing a 34.6 litre board. That's a volume per kg of 0.3567, which is less litreage than I have estimated folk like Jordy and Kelly and Michel Bourez, and just a tiny bit more than Taj. If you feel comfortable to surf the equivalent volume as the top pro's then all good. But if you think that maybe you need a bit of extra comfort in terms of volume and surface area because you're not as good, not as fit and don't surf as often then that would tend to reinforce the comments I've made.

Sorry about the long winded response - I was just curious about this and it prompted me to go back to the earlier comments I'd made.

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Cheers for your reponse buzzy some good information there! wave heights im on your level 4-5 foot is about all our beachies handle, taken the potatonator out over the last month of big swells... maybe i just like it better because its nearly always small here so i ride it a heaps more! I traded my 6-2 dominator for the 5-10 potatonator which has 36.8l, i sold my 5-8 sweetpotato 43l becuase the reducton in volume to the potatonator suited me ie board surfered way better in small stuff easier to turn etc but once it get over head can be a little skechty! maybe i will get back on the alt next swell ...